"Been There"

I went there, oh, so long ago,

They said, just let Him speak,

But I never one time thought He would,

I was so lost and weak.

But because the others went,

I went out that day,

Got alone and silent, still,

To pass the time away.

And then there was a holy hush,

I felt the Lord was there,

My heart was beating hard and fast,

I never said a prayer.

But in the center of my mind,

I saw across the way,

And there He hung on Calvary,

I won’t forget that day.

I”d never seen a picture,

Or any film or art,

That showed me how horrific,

It’s etched into my heart.

Blood and awful heaving,

Against the nails so cruel,

Insects, buzzing, stinging,

I knew I’d be a fool,

To disregard this picture,

Or try to look away,

Instead I saw my sinfulness,

For you, I heard Him say.

Since then I’ve been across the world,

And all across our land,

I’ve seen our nation’s capital,

Where our leaders sit and plan.

I’ve seen a lot of country,

From horseback saw it best,

I’ve been to those big cities,

Chicago and the rest..

But the one place above others,

That means the most to me,

Is when the Spirit took me,

To the hill of Calvary.

It was there I got forgiveness,

And all my life was changed,

I never have forgotten,

And all was rearranged.

No longer a young person,

I’m in my later years,

Been oh, so many places,

But there and then my tears,

Came from my heart then broken,

By what He did for me,

And I have never been the same,

Been there, done that, you see.

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified…” (1 Cor. 2:2, NKJV)

When Paul said this he did not mean that he literally only taught them about the death of Jesus. He actually taught them about many things: unity in the church, the Lord’s Supper, the coming of the Lord, the role of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, the moral behavior of believers, and more. But none of these issues would have any significance apart from the foundational truth of Jesus and Him crucified. Truly, if our emphasis gets too far from the cross, we tend to get sidetracked by the weeds of distraction. Paul never lost his focus on the cross, and neither should we. No matter where else we go, going to the cross is the non-negotiable of the faith. It is by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus that we are saved, and it is the application of the cross in our lives that makes us His disciples. Make sure you’ve been there and done that.

Lord, help us to make the cross our central focus, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.